CIHM 
Microfiche 
Series 
(lyionographs) 


ICIMH 

Collection  de 
microfiches 
(monographies) 


Canadian  Instituta  for  Historical  Microraproductions  /  Institut  Canadian  de  microreproductions  liistoriques 


■'■"iK^v 


Technical  and  Bibliographic  Notes  /  Notes  techniques  et  bibliographiques 


The  Institute  has  attempted  to  obtain  the  best  original 
copy  available  for  filming.  Features  of  this  copy  which 
may  be  bibliographically  unique,  which  may  alter  any  of 
the  images  in  the  reproduction,  or  which  may 
significantly  change  the  usual  method  of  filming  are 
checked  below. 


0 


Coloured  covers  / 
Couverture  de  couleur 


I      I    Covers  damaged  / 


Couverture  endommag^e 


□    Covers  restored  and/or  laminated  / 
Couverture  restaur^e  et/ou  pellicul^e 

I      I    Cover  title  missing  /  Le  titre  de  couverture  manque 

I I    Coloured  maps  /  Cartes  g6ographiques  en  couleur 

I      I   Coloured  ink  (i.e.  other  than  blue  or  black)  / 


n 


n 


D 


Encre  de  couleur  (i.e.  autre  que  bleue  ou  noire) 

Coloured  plates  and/or  illustrations  / 
Planches  et/ou  illustrations  en  couleur 


Bound  with  other  material  / 
Reli6  avec  d'autres  documents 

Only  edition  available  / 
Seule  edition  disponibie 

Tight  binding  may  cause  shadows  or  distortion  along 
interior  margin  /  La  reliure  serr^e  peut  causer  de 
I'ombre  ou  de  la  distorsion  le  long  de  la  marge 
interieure. 

Blank  leaves  added  during  restorations  may  appear 
within  the  text.  Whenever  possible,  these  have  been 
omitted  from  filming  /  II  se  peut  que  certaines  pages 
blanches  ajoutees  lors  d'une  restauration 
apparaissent  dans  le  texte,  mais,  lorsque  cela  6tait 
possible,  ces  pages  n'ont  pas  6t6  filmees. 

Additional  comments  / 
Commentaires  supplementaires: 


L'institut  a  microfilm^  le  meilleur  exemplaire  qu'il  lui  a 
6\6  possible  de  se  procurer.  Les  details  de  cet  exem- 
plaire qui  sont  peut-6tre  uniques  du  point  de  vue  bibli- 
ographique,  qui  peuvent  modifier  une  image  reproduite, 
ou  qui  peuvent  exiger  une  modification  dans  la  m6tho- 
de  normale  de  filmage  sont  indiqu^s  ci-dessous. 

I      I  Coloured  pages  /  Pages  de  couleur 

j I   Pages  damaged  /  Pages  endommag6es 


D 


Pages  restored  and/or  laminated  / 
Pages  restaur^es  et/ou  pellicul^es 


G"l  Pages  discoloured,  stained  or  foxed  / 

lJ  Pages  d^color^es,  tachet^es  ou  piqu^es 

I      I  Pages  detached  /  Pages  d6tach6es 

I  /I  Showthrough / Transparence 

r~71  Quality  of  print  varies  / 


Quality  inSgale  de  I'impression 


n 


D 


iiif 


1' 


•plementary  material  / 
u  materiel  supplementaire 


Pagt.p  ^  '!ly  or  partially  obscured  by  errata  slips, 
tissue.-,  etc.,  have  been  refilmed  to  ensure  the  best 
possible  image  /  Les  pages  totalement  ou 
partiellement  obscurcies  par  un  feuillet  d'errata,  une 
pelure,  etc.,  ont  6t6  filmees  k  nouveau  de  fafon  a 
obtenir  la  meilleure  image  possible. 

Opposing  pages  with  varying  colouration  or 
discolourations  are  filmed  twice  to  ensure  the  best 
possible  image  /  Les  pages  s'opposant  ayant  des 
colorations  variables  ou  des  decolorations  sont 
film6es  deux  fois  afin  d'obtenir  la  meilleure  image 
possible. 


This  item  is  filmed  at  the  reduction  ratio  checlced  beiow  / 

Ce  document  est  filme  au  faux  de  reduction  indiqu4  ci-dessous. 


lOx 

14x 

18x 

22x 

26x 

30x 

y 

12x 

16x 

20x 

24x 

28x 

32x 

Th«  copy  filmed  her*  has  b««n  reproduced  thenki 
to  the  generosity  of: 

National  Library  of  Canada 


L'exemplaire  iilmi  fut  reproduit  grace  i  la 
giniroaiti  de: 

Bibliotheque  nationale  du  Canada 


The  imeges  appearing  here  are  the  best  quelity 
possible  considering  the  condition  and  legibility 
of  the  original  copy  and  in  keeping  with  the 
filming  contract  specifications. 


Original  copies  in  printed  paper  covers  are  filmed 
beginning  with  the  front  cover  end  ending  on 
the  last  page  with  a  p/inted  or  illustrated  impres- 
sion, or  the  back  cover  when  appropriate.  All 
other  original  copies  are  filmed  beginning  on  the 
first  pege  with  a  printed  or  illustrated  impres- 
sion, and  ending  on  the  lest  pege  with  e  printed 
or  illustrated  impression. 


The  last  recorded  frame  on  eech  microfiche 
shall  contain  the  symbol  — ^  (meening  "CON- 
TINUED"), or  the  symbol  V  (meaning  "END"), 
whichever  applies. 

Maps,  plates,  charts,  etc.,  may  be  filmed  at 
different  reduction  ratios.  Those  too  large  to  be 
entirely  included  in  one  exposure  are  filmed 
beginning  in  the  upper  left  hend  corner,  left  to 
right  and  top  to  bottom,  as  many  frames  as 
required.  The  following  diegrams  illustrate  the 
method: 


Les  imeges  suivantas  ont  itt  reproduites  avec  le 
plus  grand  soin,  compte  tenu  de  la  condition  et 
de  la  nenet*  de  l'exemplaire  film6,  et  en 
conformity  avec  les  conditions  du  contrat  de 
filmege. 

Les  exemplaires  origineux  dont  la  couverture  en 
pepier  est  imprimis  sont  filmis  en  commenqant 
par  le  premier  plet  et  en  terminant  soit  par  Is 
derniire  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration,  soit  par  le  second 
plat,  salon  le  cas.  Tous  les  autres  exemplaires 
origineux  sont  film^s  en  commenpant  par  la 
premiAre  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration  et  en  terminant  par 
la  derniire  pege  qui  comporte  une  telle 
empreinte. 

Un  des  symboles  suivants  apparaitra  sur  la 
derniire  image  de  cheque  microfiche,  selon  le 
ces:  le  symbols  —^  signifie  "A  SUIVRE ".  le 
symbols  V  signifie  "FIN". 

Les  canes,  plenches,  tableaux,  etc.,  peuvent  etre 
filmAs  A  des  taux  de  reduction  diff^rents. 
Lorsque  le  document  est  trop  grand  pour  6tre 
reproduit  en  un  seul  cliche,  il  est  film^  d  partir 
de  Tangle  sup^rieur  gauche,  de  gauche  ^  droite. 
et  de  haut  en  bes,  en  prenant  le  nombre 
d'images  nicessaire.  Les  diagrammes  suivants 
illustrent  la  m^thode. 


1 

2 

3 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

MIOtOCOTY    RCSOIUTION    TIST   CHART 

'ANSI  and  ISO  TES!  CHART  No    2i 


1.0 


I.I 


11. 

Ill  ^^ 

m 

li. 

I-. 

1^ 

111^ 

t- 
•- 

•  36 

1- 

1. 

|40 

112^ 

\^^5  WWWA 


1.8 


1.6 


^     APPLIED  IM/IGE 


■♦I 


Natk)  al  Library 
^1  Candtla 


Btbltottieque  nationaie 
du  Canada 


-  f 


YEAR'S   CHANGES  IN 
OUR  FOOD  HABITS 


By 

P.  H.  BRYCE,  M.  A.,  M.  I). 

Chief  Medical  Officer  of  th^ 

Department  of  Immigration  and  Colonization 

Ottawa,  Canada 


Read  before  the  Pood  and  Dnig  SectioD  6f  tbe  American  Public  Health  Aaodation. 
ChicagOk  December,  1918 


Reprinted  from  Amxbic4n  Joubnal  or  Pubuc  Vbtuaa,  V(d.  K,  No.  2 
February,  1919,  pp.  108-113 


ilf  's'i^ 


m 


I^m      National  Archtvee      Archives  nationaiM 
■      (xCanafla  du  Canada 


,  <"''' 

..  rv-^ 

•'■'  *. 

^-^ 

^■■,.  : 

■  _  .^,   '    :■:■, 

*       ■'■■-■■         - .     1 
'■           .  i    - 

■  VN'/   ,?  "U*. 

-:-/•  '" 

V,  ■;:; 

YEAR'S   CHANGES  IN 
OUR  FOOD  HABITS 


p.  H.  BRYCE.  M.  A..  M.  D. 

Chief  Medical  Officer  of  the 

Department  of  Immigration  and  Coloniaation 

Ottawa,  Canada 


H««l  brfbre  the  Pood  .nd  Dnm  Section  of  the  America.  Public  HeiUth  A«.d.tion. 
Chieago,  December.  1918 


■i\ 


Reprinted  6wn  AMMa-x  JouMui  or  Prauc  HuALTH.  VoL  K.  No. « 
FefaiiMry.  10IB.  pp.  108-llS 


A  YEARS  (  HANGES  IN  FOOD  HABITS. 

Pktkh  H.  BRvrK,  M.  D.. 

Cliiff  Mnli'dl  Offiirr.  Cnnaria  Immigration  Serpire,  Otlawa,  Onl. 

Krwt  Mnrr  rom)  anil  Dru^i  Sprtioa,  Amrrion  PuNic  Hrallh  AaMcittion,  >l  Chinco.  lU..  OccrailMr  10,  lOt* 


REALIZING  the  ennrtnouii  area 
inHncJ«Hl  in  the  Tnitwl  States 
and  Canada,  involving  distinrt 
Hiniatio  mnditionH  both  from  North  to 
South  and  from  Vmh\  to  West,  it  is  man- 
ifestly diffirult  to  estimate  just  what 
changes  have  taken  place  within  a  year 
or  two  in  the  food  habits  of  our  people  in 
the  several  areas  whose  natural  products 
vary  so  greatly. 

Profenaor  Taylor  in  his  address  before 
congress  pointed  out  that  (juite  notable 
differences  existed  in  the  food  habits  of 
the  people  of  Southern  (iermany  as  com- 
pared with  those  in  I'nr  in  and  the  North 
Eastern  Provinces,  their  diet  being  much 
more  of  a  vegetable  and  fniit  and  less  of 
a  meat  character.  If  this  be  true  it  need 
hardly  be  .said  that  the  people  of  the 
Southern  States,  where  the  Imnana  and 
orange  are  native,  would  eat  much  less 
animal  foods  than  those  of  the  Norther 
States  and  Cana<ia  where  hitherto  the 
quantity  of  such  has  Ijeen  from  8  to  10 
ounces  a  day  as  the  average  for  the  whole 
population. 

In  any  di.scu.ssion  of  a  year's  changes  in 
foo<l  habits  we  naturally  think,  however, 
chiefly  of  the  changes  which  hive  resulted 
from  the  economies  demanded  by  war 
needs,  and  it  is  to  this  phase  of  the  sub- 
ject that  I  .shall  especially  direct  your 
attention.  During  the  past  forty  years 
the  people  of  the  Northern  States,  to  a 
much  greater  extent  than  the  con.servn- 
f  .>  po|>ulation  of  Great  Britain,  have 
•■(langed  their  food  h.ibits  from  the  time- 
honored  meat  and  bread  diet,  to  a  ver>' 
much  more  rational  dietary  involving  the 
inireased  \ise  of  not  only  home-grown 
vegetables  but  also  of  the  fruits  of  the 


South  and  West,  which  have  been  »d- 
vertise<l  with  the  business  persistence  of 
large  cor|)orations  engaged  in  the  shipping 
and  forwarding  business. 

In    an    admirable    booklet     ^n     the 
"Changes  in  the  Food  Supply  and  Their 
Relation  to  Nutrition."  by  Prof.  M.  B. 
Mentlel  of  Vale,  particular  attention  is 
given    to    this   point,    statistics   therein 
showing  that  the  value  of  the  products  of 
the  orchards  in  the  United  States  in  1840 
was  al)out  ^,0(10,000  while  the  cen.su?  of 
1910   gives  the  value   at    $140,867,000. 
Similarly    the    small   fruits    contributed 
$.*J.OO<),000,    grapes    $««,000,000.    citrus 
fniits  $'2,1,000,000  and  sub-tropical  fruits 
$«,000.000.     It  will   thus  be  seen    that 
while  the  population  increased  some  five 
times  since  1840,  the  urt  of  fruits  has  in- 
crea.sed  ever   twenty   times   during   the 
same  peritHl.     While  .such  a  change  in  the 
use  of  fniits  is  incidental  to  the  coming  of 
the    steamship  and  railway,    associated 
with  the  enormous  increase  in  urban  pop- 
ulation, it  has  nevertheless  been  accf)m- 
panied  by  ■^rtain  changes  in  the  fashion  ot 
foods  of  a  less  desirable  character.     Thus 
the  u.se  of  all  wheat  flour  by  the  old  milling 
process  has  been  replaced  by  a  flour  made 
by  the  modern  roller  process  from  which 
for  greater  profits  in  by-products  much  of 
the  protein  and  mineral  salts  have  been 
removed.     Not  only  in  this  way  has  the 
use  of  starches  greatly  increased,  as  well 
as  of  sugar,  Init  the  food  of  the  growing 
children  of  our  populat  on  has  also  lost 
much  nc-cessai  •  protein,  while  the  use  of 
fats  and  oils  formerly  universal  in  the 
bacon  of  former  times  has  notably  been 
decreased.     However,  this  disu.se  of  the 
courser  fats  and  oils  has  in  some  degree 


A  Year's  Chanxes  in  Foo<l  Habits 


liwn  made  up  by  an  increaw  in  the  u«e  of 
butter.  a«  the  form  of  fat  not  only  most 
palatable  to  the  American  but  Iikewi«e 
the  modt  (li«e!itible. 

To  the  use  of  fresf   ^eRetableM  miwt  lie 
added  the  enormously  increased  use  of 
canne<l  fruits  and  vejwtable*.  the  quanti- 
ties «if  which   are  not   included   in   the 
statistics    already     referred    to.     These 
amounted  in  the  United  States  in  1008 
to  »1«0.000.00(>  in  value.     Another  veiy 
notable  chanf^t  in  the  fashions  or  fancies 
in  foods  dtirinK  the  last  twenty  years  is 
seen  in  the  use  of  manufactured  articles 
in  which  the  ordinary  f^rains  are  variously 
u.sed  in  breakfast  food  packages.    Apart, 
however,  from  the  greatly  increase<l  cost 
of  many  of  these  foods,  the  development 
of  a  taste  for  these  foods,  perhaps  more 
digestible  through  their  partial  change 
to  sugar,  has  tended  to  the  further  use  of 
hydrocarbons,    lacking    in    the    protein 
contents  essential   to  a   true  food.     As 
the  chief  analyst  of  inland  revenue  for 
Canada  says:    "The  popularity  of  these 
foods  is  due  to  four  factors:    (1)  Attrac- 
tive and  widespread  advertising.     («)  A 
growing  tendency  to  save  time  in   the 
preparation  of  the  meal .     (3)  The  guam  n- 
tee  of  cleanliness  furnished  by  the  manner 
of   packing,     (4)    The   attractive   flavor 
possessed  by  most  of  these  foods."     An- 
other chnnge  in  food  fashions  is  seen  in 
the  use  of  milk  products  in  the  shape  of 
flavored   ce-crearas  as  a  condiment,  thus 
removing  the  protein  contents   from  a 
food    formerly    use<l    in    the    shape    of 
chef'se. 

Kxcept  in  seaport  towns  it  is  probable 
that  the  u.se  of  fish  has  on  the  whole  until 
n.-cently  decreased,  not  only  owing  to  the 
lessened  supply  and  increased  cost,  but 
also  becau.se  fish  unless  absolutely  fresh 
is  usually  held  in  disfavor.  Indeed  the 
popularity  of  fish  judged  from  the  amount 
of  it  canned,  .seems  to  have  iiicrea.sed 
less  during  the  last  census  period  so  far 


as  increased  quantity  is  concerned  than 
any  other  canned  product. 

This  brief  review  illustrates  the  changes 
which  have  taken  place  in  the  food  habits 
of  the  American  and  Canadian  people 
during  the  la-st  half  century.  The  d-rec- 
l':>n  of  these  changes  has  doubtless  been 
toward  supplying  articles  which,  while 
more  attractive  to  the  paiate.  have  like- 
wise been  more  readily  digestible  for  the 
large  number  of  people,  whose  habits  of 
living  have  lessened  the  need  for  the 
stronger  protein  foods  as  oatmeal,  all 
wheat,  rye  and  bariey.  On  the  other 
hand  grave  injuries  have  resulted  to  the 
nutrition  of  classes  whose  physiological 
needs  have  suffered  through  the  lack  of 
pniteins.  whether  due  to  their  high  cost 
or  to  the  indulgence  of  gustatory  fancies. 
There  is  little  doubt,  however,  but  that 
the  introduction  of  Southern  fresh  vege- 
tables and  fruits  during  the  long  winter 
of  the  North  has  proved  on  the  whole 
greatly  beneficial  to  that  large  class  of 
workers  to  whom  variety  in  their  food 
has  always  proved  diflScult  owing  to 
expense. 

We  are  now  in  a  position  to  vitw  the 
food  situation  as   it   actually   exi.sts  in 
America  after  two  years  of    mcpjising 
submarine  warfare,   wliioh   has  afTficted 
the  normal  distributio    of  foods  «    stiir  to 
the  needs  of  ^he  Alii      in  the  four  essen 
tials  of  wheat,  bacon,  sugar  and  fats,  aii 
of  which  have  been  steadily  decf«a.«fi»»R 
year  by  year  during  the  la.st  four  years 
That  the  situation  of  the  allied  peopk- 
as  well  as  of  their  armies  has  not  real! 
been  serious  as  yet  is  in  a  large  pieasun 
due  to  the  experience  and  energy  of  F<K)d 
Controller  Hoover,  who.se  administration 
of  the  Belgium  Relief  Food  Fund  prob- 
ably fitted  him  to  undertake  the  respon- 
sibilities laid  upo.i  him  by  the  govern- 
ment   as    none    other    could.     He    was 
impres.sed    with    the   great    need    which 
existed    for    the   conservation   of   every 


The  Ammrnn  Journal  of  Piihlic  Iiealtli 


lM>uit«l  of  frHMJ.  which  «>hI«1  in  any  way 
Jtiipply  vtwrgy  •«  the  noMi^ni  and  koqi 
thfwte  rnKafCnl  in  war  work,  nurh  nx 
munitions,  at  the  maximum  drftrre  of 
efficiency  under  rxixtinff  ronditionH.  while 
maintaining  the  civil  iNipnlation  of  the 
Aliira  at  the  hifthext  |M>N.silile  staite  of 
comfort  neceHMiry  to  efficiency.  The 
,  submarine  warfare  haii  added  enormoufdy 
to  the  difficulty  of  the  situation.  Kven 
as  late  an  Au){ii.«t,  lf)18.  nfter  all  the 
destruction  of  ocean  timna^e  sim-e  Fehni- 
ar>'.  Ittlfl.  the  lonaeii  due  to  Muhmarinex 
anM>unted  to  rt^T.WTA  kto^'  tons  of  which 
170,401.  a  slijfht  dp<rensc.  wan  Briti.sh 
tonnaKe.  On  the  other  hand  to  have 
some  idea  .1  the  total  tonnuKe  arriving 
at  British  ports,  it  may  lie  stafe<l  that 
there  were  H,H81.fl.Sl)  tons  of  shipping 
entering  and  clenring  from  the  rnite<i 
Kingdom  during  the  same  month. 

It  is  ohvioiis  then  that  the  |>rohlem  a.s 
shown  by  these  various  figures,  rendered 
it  neces.sary  that  every  (m.ssible  effort 
should  \te  made  to  have  transferred  from 
this  continent  tho.se  foods  es()ecially  high 
in  their  enerf?y-producing  value,  most 
compact  in  bulk  in  com|)arison  with  their 
foo<l  values,  least  )>erishablc  and  most 
constant  in  quality  and  least  variable 
and  chc-ay)e.st  in  price.  Such,  as  has  al- 
res-'y  been  pointe<l  out,  are  the  four  items 
wheat,  bacon,  fats,  an<l  siigor.  A  further 
situation  had  to  be  met  in  that  Canada 
ilurin^  four  years  and  the  Tnited  States 
during  the  last  year  and  a  half  had  seen 
a  large  proportion  of  the  man  power  of 
l)oth  nations  fteinj;  removed  fnini  produc- 
tion: .so  ihst  .vc  find  that  in  sjiite  of  every 
clTo-"  there  has  lieen  a  steady  reduction 
in  the  number  of  cattle  and  hogs  and  a 
decreased  numlicr  of  milch  cows.  Thus 
the  .\dvi.sory  Committee  of  Congress  in 
May,  1918,  rejMirted  'if)  per  cent  less  live 
stock  in  the  rnite<l  Mates,  20  per  cent 
less  hogs  in  Iowa  and  ;J  jicr  <ent  fewer 
milch  cows. 


It  ii  obvious  then  that  the  fimt  step  to 
lie  taken  was  to  ensure  the  larfteflt  {Mimi:  Je 
saving  in  wheat  to  supply  not  only  our 
own  increasing  aniiies  in  Prance  at.d  Italy, 
but  also  the  other  Allies  dependent  on  u.s 
for  fiMid.  ,\m  the  Fotnl  Hoard  has  re- 
FM)rted  there  were  but  «0,00».000  bushels 
■<uri>his  of  the  1017  crc»p  for  export  under 
ordinary  conditions,  yet  KO.OOA.OiM) 
bushels  of  wheat  were  exported;  which 
meant  that  the  jjeople  of  the  I'nited 
States  had  consumed  IOO,000.0<M)  less 
bushels.  This  is  all  the  more  notable 
since  the  nutritive  value  of  the  poor  crop 
of  1017  was  less  by  7  per  cent  than  the 
average.  Canada  ex[M)rted  during  the 
same  jierio<|  of  wheat  85,0(H),000  bushels 
more  than  the  average  for  the  preceding 
three  years. 

It  Is  further  important  to  realize  that 
the  worid's  supply  of  foo<l  animals  had 
fallen  since  the  liegiuning  of  the  war  by 
ll.'..0OO,0O«l.  We  have  also:  .-ently  been 
made  to  realize  how  dependent  we  are  on 
this  continent  when  we  learn  that  the 
submarines  off  our  coa;  t«  sank  in  a  few 
month.s  .50,000.000  pounds  of  sugar. 

Manifestly  then  there  were  three  things 
for  us  to  do  in  this  crisis,  viz.: 

1.  Produce  more  of  these  several  food 
supplies. 

i.  Conserve  them  in  everj-  way  possible 
especially  fiy  cnnsuniing  less. 

3.  Rejilace  them  by  other  kinds  of 
f(K>ds. 

With  regard  to  the  first  our  Fwd  Con- 
trollers tell  us  that  in  1918  the  United 
States  plante<l  10  per  cent  more  winter 
wheat  while  Canada  planted  6,000,000 
acres  more  grain,  equivalent  to  an  in- 
cr«-a.sc  of  l«0,000,iK>()  bushels.  England 
enormously  increased  he,  acreage  up  to 
the  point  of  supplying  70  percent  of  her 
own  needs,  having  an  increased  acreage 
of  1,000,000  acres  an<l  10,000,000  acres 
in  crr)p;  but  the  <rops  of  FVance  and 
Italy  were  notably  Itss  than  the  average. 


A  Yvnr'n  ChariRes  in   Fo«mI   flabits  S 

Thiw  thr  mg»T  pro«lurtion  of  Vrnncr  in  hhr»J-pr«w««.l  (rtrmany  haa  heen  able  to 

1»I7  fell  from  730.(¥IO  ton*  Jo  «l0.n00.  carry  on.  MU  uh  that   her  fH,pulation 

But  a  remarkahie  outrome  of  war  iuhmIh  U  through  each  i.rhan  dweller  having  lieen 

seen  in  the     rmieii  in  the  fieWn  hec.min  given  a  plot  of  suhiirban  land  »o  cultivate, 

their  own  f(K>d  pmvidem.     Meiiopotnmia  han    supplied   at    least   aii   p<<r  rent   of 

in  1H18  has  grown  more  grain  than  liefore  the  fooil  neressary  for  theii  sustenance, 

in  renturiea  of  her  history,  having  7.000,-  How  much  this  has  mea..i  will  he  u'der- 

000  orres  in  crr.ps:    while  irrigation  by  ,stoo<l  when  we  remember  that  Wore  the 

pumping  water  from  the  Tigris  has  raise«l  war  70  per  cent  of  the  whole  population 

«/!.000  tons  of  whea»  and  100.000  tons  of  in  Germany   was  urban.     Now  in    less 

iMrley.     Eg>  pt   I.--     I>een  once  more  p.  degree,  indewl.  because  the  necessity  has 

granary  in  time        Wrth  and  has  g^en  not  been  so  pressing,  all  have  turned  to 

4«4,0«0  tons  of       y  in   1818  and  will  war -»      -ir.g  in  America.     It  ia  difficult 

harvest  an  enorm.. IIS  crop  of  sugar.  to.                .-te  statistics  because  so  many 

Such  are  the  chtef  illustrations  of  how  pt    ,     :..  fe  simply  enlarge<l  their  previ- 

the  Allies'  food  supply  has  been  assured  out       ...ct  gardening  and  these  have  been 

f.*r   this  year:    but    fx-rhaps   'he   most  of  course  the  most  efficient.    However. 

interesting  phase  of  our  subject  is  that  the  Food  Board  of  Canada  report,  an 

in  our  secmd  postulate  of  saving  more  by  estimated   total   of    15.000   acres   undf 

consuming  less  of  these  essential  food-  cultivation  in  1918  based  on  five  tin..^ 

stuffs.     We  all  know  tha'      me  amongst  the  acreage  in  1017. 

us  has  suffered  from  a  dearth  of  available  In  the  Northern  SUtes  and  Canada 

food,  although  the  ,)oor  may  have  l)een  undoubtedly   the  greatest   increase   has 

injured   through   high   prices.     It    is  of  l.een  in  the  [K)teto  crop.    Gerr  any  in- 

course  true  that  some  com.  lyc  and  Iwr-  deed  has  long  appreciated  the  value  of 

ley  have  been  introduced  into  our  bread,  this  source  of  food.     Professor  Prescott's 

some  glucose  into  our  sugar  supply,  and  analyses  gives  the  following  resulU: 
.some  fish  into  our  animal  food  supply; 

but   es.sentiblly   we   have    "ot   seriously  Potatoen.                                Per  cent. 

shifted  the  movable  weij        in  the  foml      ^^at" 78.3 

balance  .so  far  as  f,ur  ne<       iry  calories      ^i^t*"'" 8.8 

are  conceme*!  ex^-pt  perhaps  to  les.sen      ^** 0.1 

their  excess.     ('.  «  .  Ljingworthy.  chemist      Hydrocarbon 18.0 

to  th-  '^epnrtmch    < )  Agriculture.  Wash-     ^"'^ 1.0 

ingto     . .  quotea  a.  -aying  that  we  ordi-  Calories  jM-r  lb.,  m 

iianly  es.,c  three  tin^ps  as  much  meat  as  we 

need  and  that  saving  is  pos.sible  is  .seen  Bananas.                                Per  cent. 

in  the  fact  that  Canada's  excess  meat      Wat-;r 75.3 

export  last  year  with  fewer  animals  grown      Protein 1 .  S 

was  enough  to  feed  .500.000  sohliers  at  the      Fat 0.6 

f""it-  Hydrocarlion WO 

Now  with  these  facts  before  us  we  nalu-      Ash 0  g 

rally  enquire  what  changes  have  taken  r-  1    •            ,.      .„„ 

pla.'-c  in  our  use  of  foods.     All  will  at  ^*'°"^  ''^^  "*•  ^ 

once  turn  to  vhat  he  is  personally  cogni-  Fortunately  it  is  food  so  simply  grown 

zantof,    ,i!.:    ti  f  war  gr.rden.     Professor  that  many  of  the  wage-earning  class  have 

Taylor  in  illustrati.-';;  the  means  by  which  lieen  able  to  provide  enough  to  supply 


(i 


The  American  Journal  of  Public  Health 


their  own  household  requirements,  while 
cooked  in  the  usual  way  it  serves  as  the 
most  important  item  in  replacing  our 
bread  supply.  There  is,  however,  no  food 
whose  useful  possibilities  have  been  more 
restricted  in  America,  than  the  potato. 
With  80  per  cent  of  water  and  sold 
generally  at  a  low  price,  the  cost  of 
tran-sportation  of  the  raw  product  limits 
its  use  largely  to  its  home  di.strict.  By 
dehydratif.n  or  drying  and  its  conversion 
into  chips  or  potato  flour  it  could  become 
here  as  well  as  in  Germany  one  of  the 
most  important  sources  to  replace  wheat- 
en  flour  as  a  food  for  o«ir  people.  How 
important  these  alternative  food  supplies 
are  may  be  judged  from  the  fact  that 
the  saving  of  a  single  potmd  of  bread  in 
America  per  person  weekly  will  increase 
the  wheat  export  by  100,000,000  bushels 
annually. 

Incidentally  it  may  be  stated  that  the 
use  of  the  !.weet  potato  and  the  banana 
in  the  South  is  in  the  same  category  and, 
as  Professor  Prescott  states,  the  banana 
at .)  cents  per  pound  is  next  to  dried  beans 
and  bread  the  cheapest  food  when  meas- 
ured in  calories  or  fuel  value.  But  the 
war  garden  has  played  a  further  use  in 
its  supplying  food  during  the  summer 
from  the  earliest  onions,  lettuce,  beets, 
peas,  and  beans,  to  the  later  com,  toma- 
toes, carrots,  parsnips,  and  celery,  all  of 
which  in  successioii  have  supplied  mate- 
rial for  canning  and  drying  up  to  the  needs 
of  the  many  householders.  In  addition 
to  home  products,  it  is  probable  too  that 
the  output  of  the  canning  companies  in 
these  and  other  vegetables  and  fruits  has 
lieen  notably  increa.sed  and  will  l»e  made 
ancillary,  as  canned  goods,  to  the  over- 
seas supplies  for  the  army. 

In  addition  to  the  war  gardens  (^anada 
has  seen  during  the  year  a  very  notable 
increase  in  the  home  consumption  of  fish. 
With  an  abundance  of  meats  from  home- 
gnjwn    animals    the    Canadian    people. 


chiefly  located  inland,  have  preferred 
through  convenience  to  eat  animal  rather 
than  fi.sh  food.  The  increase  in  the  num- 
ber of  fishermen  and  the  capital  invested 
in  fishing  showed  no  marked  increase  in 
the  decade  1900-1910.  Possessed  on 
both  coasts  of  probably  the  most  valuable 
fisheries  in  the  world,  both  on  account  of 
the  clinwte  and  the  indented  character 
of  the  coasts,  Canada  until  only  recently, 
owing  to  other  more  attractive  or  less 
strenuous  occupations,  has  allowed  this 
great  source  of  food  and  wealth  to  remain 
uii  veloped  in  proportion  to  its  possi- 
bilities. Enormous  supplies  of  a  variety 
of  edible  fish  as  halibut,  sole,  skate,  and 
flat  fish  exist  in  Canadian  waters;  while 
in  the  Great  I^kes  and  the  thousand 
inland  lakes  of  the  Laurentians  immense 
quantities  of  the  best  fresh  water  fish  are 
available.  To  indicate  how  rapidly  this 
source  of  food  .supply  has  been  utilized, 
it  may  he  stated  that  since  the  Food 
Board  took  up  the  matter  seriously,  the 
number  of  licensed  wholesale  fish  estab- 
lishments in  Canada  increased  from  900 
to  1,5.50,  including  900  headquarters; 
while  5.5  per  cent  of  the  total  western  fish 
catch  was  con.sumed  at  home  as  compared 
with  15  per  cent  the  previous  year.  A 
single  trawler  caught  120,000  pounds  of 
flat  fish  and  cod  in  eight  days  off  the 
North  British  Columbia  Coast  which 
were  frozen  when  landed,  when  not  sold 
for  immediate  consumption;  while  cod 
and  halibut  from  the  west  coast  sold  i  » 
Montreal  at  lij  cents  per  pound  and 
mackerel  from  the  .\tlantic  was  sold  at 
similar  prices.  Indeed  in  May,  1918,  the 
fish  consumption  of  Canada  was  one 
pound  per  week  per  capita,  and  8,500,000 
pounds  were  sold  in  the  first  five  months 
of  1918  as  compared  with  5,000,000 
pounds  last  year. 

In  no  item  perhaps  have  the  people  of 
this  continent  been  more  disturlied  than 
in  the  restriction  of  the  sugar  supply. 


A  Year's  Changes  in  Food  Habits 


Sugar  since  the  early  days  of  sorghum  and 
sugar  cane  in  the  South  and  maple  sugar 
in  the  North  has  been  used  much  as  salt 
or  any  other  condiment.  In  spite  of 
occasional  medical  warnings  as  to  its 
injurious  effects  if  used  in  excess,  from 
babyhood  to  old  age,  our  people  have 
cultivated  a  sweet  tooth.  The  old  time 
candy  stick  and  candy  crystals  may  have 
been  replaced  by  more  expensive  choco- 
lates and  other  confections;  but  sugar  is 
used  everywhere  from  the  pickaninny  who 
chews  sugar  cane  to  the  Northerner,  who 
from  using  maple  sugar  ha."  looked  upon 
sugar  as  an.  elementary  food.  T '  •;re  is 
little  doubt,  however,  that  its  restriction 
to  some  extent  through  being  replaced  by 
oatmeal,  barley,  meat,  peas  and  beans, 
with  more  use  of  milk  would  prove  a 
distinct  benefit  to  the  growing  children 
of  our  continent,  whose  sweet  tooth  has 
been  allowed  to  control  indulgent  mothers 
rather  than  the  knowledge  that  the  pro- 
teins and  fats  are  much  more  essential  to 
the  development  of  the  growing  animal. 

A  word  need  be  .said  regarding  the  use 
of  milk  and  milk  products.  The  value 
of  milk  as  a  complete  food  for  children 
and  for  general  i!se  in  a  mixed  diet  is 
everywhere  accepted,  and  it  is  now  only 
a  question  of  obtaining  it  in  sufficient 
quantity  and  quality  at  any  reasonable 
price.  We  are  all  familar  with  the  strug- 
gle that  has  gone  on  l)etween  the  pro- 
iucers  and  milk-dealers  on  this  continent 
•luring  the  past  two  years.  It  is  stated 
that  !J0  per  cent  of  the  milch  cows  in  New 
York  state  instead  of  the  usual  17  per  cent 
were  slaughtered  in  1917.     The  demand 


for  meat  was  so  great  and  prices  so  high, 
ait  tie  food  so  costly  and  labor  do  scarce 
and  expensive,  that  the  farmer  seemed  per- 
fectly determined  to  either  get  much  more 
for  the  milk  or  go  out  of  the  business.  The 
evidence  from  the  Chicago  official  investi- 
gation seemed  to  prove  that  a  similar 
situation  has  everywhere  existed.  Statis- 
tics are  difficult  to  obtain;  but  it  is 
probable  that  in  no  one  particular  have 
the  infants  and  children  of  the  poorer 
people  been  affected  more  seriously  than 
in  a  lessened  milk  supply;  while  as  for 
eggs,  their  use  would  seem  to  have  been 
restricted  largely  to  the  wealthy  and  to 
those  provident  householders,  who  have 
kept  a  dozen  hens  and  fed  them  on  garden 
and  household  refuse.  If  milk  foods, 
such  as  cheese,  have  been  increased  for 
export  as  war  food  at  the  expense  of  the 
children's  food,  it  oould  only  be  excused 
on  the  ground  of  some  pressing  necessity, 
but  we  have  good  evidence  to  know  that 
the  milk  problem  was  serious  before  the 
war  and  will  only  be  solved  when  it  is 
managed  as  a  municipal  utility  as  to 
quantity  and  quality  and  distributed  on 
some  basis  as  efficiently  as  is  public  gas, 
electricity,  coal  and  water.  If  the  evolu- 
tion of  society  is  to  make  three-fourths 
of  the  people  non-producers  of  food  and 
urban  residents,  then  public  safety  and  ef- 
ficiency demand  that  food,  the  first  item 
in  the  life  of  the  people,  be  regulated 
as  carefully  by  government,  whether 
general  or  municipal,  as  the  quantity  and 
quality  of  the  water  and  other  liquid 
.supplies. 


